The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Benefit of reciting hymns

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Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Benefit of reciting hymns

CHENNAI, OCT.6 . An important objective of the hymns found in the Puranas and also of those composed by saints and preceptors is to afford laypeople the advantage of the esoteric Mantras, which cannot be handled by them directly. The Mantras are inbuilt in these verses and hence it is possible to derive the same benefit by reciting these hymns. The Devi Mahatmya occurring in the Markandeya Purana is a case in point. Popularly recited during the Navaratri, which is sacred to the worship of the Mother Goddess, this hymn also known as Durga Saptasati or Chandi Patha, has a prelude of three Stotras— the Devi Kavacham, Argala Stotram and the Keelaka Stotram. The devotee must recite them to ward off the obstacles before undertaking the recitation of this hymn.

In his discourse, Swami Asutoshananda said there was correspondence between the physical and the subtle levels in the universe according to tradition. So whatever one wants to achieve at the material level can be achieved at the subtle level through Mantras. A soldier wears armour to protect himself against physical injury in war and a devotee can in the same manner chant Mantras to overcome obstacles in life. Hence ritualistic worship can be done both at the gross and subtle levels to derive the same benefit.

This begs the definition of a devotee. Generally, the majority assume that a devotee is one who worships God in the temple and is meticulous about following the guidelines given in the scriptures. But if one reads the Bhagavad Gita, which is one of the most important scriptural texts, it will come as a revelation that it does not deal with in detail about any outward form of worship. Instead it describes the attitude of the devotee, which is essentially his mental frame (subtle). Hymns on different deities are thus helpful to a devotee to worship God at a subtle level and the benefits of chanting them can be seen for oneself.

The Devi Mahatmya gives the insight that no one can escape from sorrows in life. It is essential to come to terms with the fact that human life is a mixture of joys and sorrows. Hymns like this empower the devotee to face sorrows by fortifying his mind. For example, a person who has to walk through a forest has a choice. If he walks barefoot he is bound to get hurt but by wearing footwear he can walk through comfortably. The Devi Kavacham gives an elaborate description of how every organ and part of the human body can be protected by invoking a particular Goddess.

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